White & Black
by YouthfulSoul
Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome welcome two very different children into the world, and must come to terms with the consequences of having half blooded children. [Mostly family fluff with a dash of angst. Contains Inuyasha/Kagome and Miroku/Sango.]


_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, obviously._

 _ **Warning:** I pretty vaguely and poorly describe childbirth._

* * *

It was a day late in April, and Spring was in full swing in Feudal Japan. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the cherry blossoms were blooming. A gentle wind carried the sweet floral scent of the season throughout the village; children laughed and played in the warmth of the afternoon. It was the sort of day where the world seemed like a painting, the sort of day young maidens fell in love and grand adventures were begun. The entire village basked in the glow of a perfect day, smiling even through their daily chores. The only person who didn't seem to be enjoying the excellent weather was Kagome Higurashi, which was decidedly uncharacteristic of the usually upbeat girl, but it was hard for even her to find something to smile about when her stomach decided to rebel against her.

"Ugh, _gross_!" Kagome groaned, spitting into the bucket she'd just spewed her lunch into. She'd always hated being sick to her stomach.

Sango rubbed soothing circles on her back, offering the sick girl a flask of water. Kagome accepted it gratefully, eager to rid her mouth of the taste of vomit.

"Kagome, are you sure you're okay? How have you been feeling lately?" Sango asked, concern evident in her voice. Her friend hadn't been able to keep anything down for about a day and a half now, and she was starting to grow both worried and suspicious.

Kagome lowered the flask and wiped at her mouth, hoping she would at least keep the water down. She glanced at Sango, considering the question for a moment. "I've been feeling fine, I think. A little tired, I guess, but I never sleep well when Inuyasha goes out demon hunting without me. I'm sure this is just a stomach bug, or something."

There was a long pause; Sango said cautiously, "When I was carrying the twins, I was sick for nearly a month."

"What? You don't think _I'm_ – Sango, I _can't_ be –" Kagome felt a sudden wave of panic. No, oh no, she'd missed her period. She hadn't even noticed really, she'd been so busy with other things, and she'd been late before. It hadn't even occurred to her she could be _pregnant_. She wasn't supposed to be, not ever. When they'd married, they'd agreed they wouldn't have any children. Inuyasha hadn't wanted to bring another child like him into the world, had been afraid of how they would be treated and have to grow up. His own childhood had left him too scarred to have a family of his own, and she'd understood that. She'd been perfectly fine with it just being them. What was Inuyasha going to say?

"Oh Sango, what am I going to _do_?" She asked, blue eyes filling up with tears.

Sango was immediately drawing her into a hug. "Oh, Kagome, don't cry. I know it's frightening, but I promise everything is going to be okay. I'm here to help you through this, and so is everyone else. Inuyasha is a good man, and he'll love his child."

"But he doesn't want a child, Sango. What if he's furious, or upset, or... or our child isn't accepted, what if they have to suffer like he did?"

"You won't let anything bad happen to them, and neither will he." Sango said firmly, "This village loves you and him, Kagome, they'll love this baby too. Inuyasha will come around, no matter how he reacts to the news. I mean, Miroku fainted when I told him about the twins and he's still a great father."

Kagome sniffled, appreciating her friends effort to cheer her up. She pulled out of the hug and wiped at her eyes, nodding determinedly. "You're right. It'll be fine, of course it will be. We battle demons, we can handle a baby. Oh god, I'm going to be a mom, Sango. I don't know how to be a real mom."

Sango smiled sympathetically. "Trust me, Kagome, you're going to be a wonderful mother."

Kagome tried to smile, but had to quickly duck her head as another wave of nausea hit. This time Sango winced in sympathy as she held her friend's hair back and tried to assure her that motherhood was wonderful... most of the time.

* * *

Inuyasha bounded through the trees, ignoring the muffled shouts of Miroku and the demon slayers in training, Hiro and Hana, as he raced ahead. It wouldn't take them long to reach the village at their pace, and they were well within village territory. He was assured of their safety, so he didn't see any reason not to leave them behind. A grin spread across his face as the scents and sounds of the village drifted lazily up to him on the gentle breeze; he was almost home. The warm feeling bordering on giddiness every time he thought that word still hadn't faded. It was an amazing thing, having a home where he was loved and accepted for who and what he was. It wasn't something he thought he'd ever truly have, but here he was, returning after a week long mission to his wife. He knew Kagome would be waiting for him. He would tease her for missing him, she would joke about how peaceful the village was while he was away, but she would hold him close and he would kiss her like his life depended on it. Kagome would make one of his favorites for dinner, they would fill each other in on everything they'd missed with dramatic flare, and she would roll her eyes at his posturing while he snorted at her village gossip. It was always a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The forest thinned and then cleared, bringing the village into view; Inuyasha leaped out of a tree and hit the ground running. He offered barely visible waves and nods as he passed villagers in the fields, shouted a few greetings as he flew past houses, and nearly gave a young mother a heart attack when he leaped over a couple playing children. He considered stopping when he passed Sango and Miroku's house, but decided against it. He wanted to see his wife; he'd been gone for an entire week. A sharp right and handful of dodging maneuvers later, and he was in front of his cozy little house. He stepped inside, and his smile instantly dropped. Something was wrong; he could smell partially digested food and the sharp burn of stomach acid, mingling with the salty scent of tears. He knew she had sensed his arrival, but she hadn't come out to greet him yet.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha called, already moving towards the bedroom where scent and instinct told him she'd be.

"I'm in here." Kagome's voice was tired and strained, sounding from the bedroom and confirming his assumption of her whereabouts.

Inuyasha swept the curtain away and stepped into the room, frowning at the sight he found there. Kagome was curled up in their bed, hair messy and eyes red. The contents of a bucket beside the bed told him she was indeed rather sick, and probably hadn't kept anything down all day. He immediately rushed to her side as she sat up, and began checking her scent.

"Are you alright, Kagome? How long have you been sick? Your scent is different." Inuyasha wrinkled his nose as he tried to place just what was off about it. It was different, but somehow familiar, and it tugged at his instincts. He almost felt like he should know what it was, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Inuyasha, sit down." Kagome insisted, pushing at him lightly so he would stop scenting her. She didn't want him to guess before she told him; it was only right that she be the one to break the news.

Inuyasha did as he was told, perching on the very edge of the bed, but he did it with a frown. He didn't like how serious she sounded; if she was seriously ill . . . that wasn't something he could protect her from, and he couldn't stand not being able to protect his family. Kagome took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The seconds felt like hours to Inuyasha, but finally she opened them again and took his hands in hers. He looked her in the eye, and he could see the emotions swirling in her bright blue orbs.

"Inuyasha . . . I know we agreed we weren't going to have children, and I was okay with that, I really was, am." Kagome squeezed his hands as he jerked in surprise, and he remained silent, though he eyed her a bit warily, "But sometimes you just can't control things like that, and . . . and sometimes, it's just meant to happen, you know? What I'm saying is . . . I'm pregnant."

Silence. Inuyasha couldn't say a word. Kagome felt tears well up and overflow; she was terrified he'd be upset with her. He hadn't wanted this, after all. She knew he loved her, that he'd never hurt her, but it was still all so _scary_. Inuyasha couldn't even breath he was feeling so much at once. She was pregnant, with his child. He was going to be a . . . a _father_. There was so much fear and doubt and amazement; millions of what ifs and questions whirled around in his head. What if he wasn't any good at being a father? What if the child hated him? Would they have his ears? Their mother's eyes? He hoped they had Kagome's eyes.

"You . . . we . . . we're really . . . I'm going to be a father." Inuyasha's voice was a frightened, awed whisper.

Kagome laughed through her tears. "Yes, yes you are. You aren't mad at me?"

" _Mad_?" Inuyasha brushed the tears from her cheeks and pulled her into a gentle hug, "Of course I'm not mad, stupid. This is sure as hell a shock, but it's . . . it's amazing. Scary, but amazing. C'mon, you know me better than that."

"You're right, I do." Kagome clung tightly to her husband, suddenly feeling rather silly, "It's hormones. I'm probably going to cry for nine straight months."

Inuyasha paled; he was glad Kagome couldn't see his face at the moment. He had never handled tears well, especially her tears. It was going to be a very long nine months. They fell into silence again, until Kagome whispered softly, "I love you, Inuyasha."

"I love you too, Kagome. And you too, pup." Inuyasha gave her a gentle poke in the belly, and Kagome had to pull away to laugh.

"You are _not_ calling my child a _pup_."

* * *

It was an early day in December, and Winter had long since chased away the warmth of Spring. The sun was only just rising above the horizon, lighting up the winter wonderland that was Japan. Deep snow, untouched for miles around the little village, glistened like crushed diamond in the rising light. Trees, barren of leaves, shimmered as their scores of icicles reflected the rays of sunlight. The inhabits of the village were only just beginning to stir, stoking fires and adding layers to guard from the sharp chill in the air. It was a quiet, peaceful morning for all, with the notable exception of Kagome Higurashi, who had spent the night tossing fitly in her bed.

" _Ah_!" Kagome gasped in pain, curling one hand into a fist in her blanket while the other one moved to press against her swollen belly.

Inuyasha, who had been soundly asleep just moments ago, bolted upright with almost startling speed. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"It's time."

"Time?" He asked, still confused from sleep, "Time for what?"

"For the _baby_ , you dolt, wake up!" Kagome snapped.

"Baby? . . . _You're in labor?!_ " Inuyasha leaped to his feet and bolted towards the door, "I'll get Sango! And Kaede! Just, uh, hold on for a minute!"

"Put some pants on first!" Kagome shouted after him, hoping he wasn't panicking too hard to hear her. "I'm the one having the baby, I don't see why he's the one freaking out – _ah!_ "

Kagome felt a rush of fear as the reality of the situation sank in. She was really in labor, this was really happening, right now. She was going to give birth her to her first child in Feudal Japan, with no real doctors or pain medication. Oh god, oh god, this was too much, she couldn't handle this. Inuyasha returned nearly as quickly as he'd left, thankfully wearing pants. He took one look at her frightening expression and rapid breathing and was at her side in an instant, holding her hand and brushing the hair out of her face.

"Hey, it's okay. Everything's going to be fine."

Sango rushed in a minute later, followed by the elderly but ever sturdy Kaede. They immediately set to work preparing for the birth, ensuring Kagome was as comfortable as a woman in labor could be, and constantly assuring the first time mother that she was fine, and so far everything was normal.

"Inuyasha." Kaede said, drawing the hanyou's attention, "Perhaps ye should leave -"

" _No_." Kagome said sharply, her tone leaving no room for argument. She didn't care how things were usually done here, there was no way she was doing this without him.

"I'm staying." Inuyasha agreed firmly, "She needs me."

It wasn't in a dog demon's nature to leave their mate unattended when they were in need, and it certainly wasn't like him to let Kagome suffer through anything alone. He had vowed to support his mate through anything, and he would see that vow through. As minutes turned to hours and her contractions came harder and faster, he almost regretted his decision. Though the labor went by with limited cursing and zero threats to his manhood, he was fairly sure Kagome had broken at least one finger and her screams of pain hurt both his ears and heart. Sango and Kaede talked back and forth, and would tell Kagome to do things like " _push_ " and " _breath_ ", instructions that were always met with " _I am pushing_ " and " _if you say that one more time I'm going to strangle somebody._ " It was late in the morning by the time their child finally entered the world.

"I see a head!" Sango shouted, "Push, honey, push! Shoulders, we've got shoulders. Come on, you can do this, Kagome, we're almost there."

Inuyasha could do little but stand there, ignoring the pain in his hand, and offer half heated words of encouragement, knowing his wife wasn't really listening to him. Kagome gave another terrible scream; Inuyasha reached out to brush her hair away from her face with his free hand, but paused as her cry was joined by another. His head snapped up, breath catching as his ears strained, trying to catch every little sound his pup was making. Kaede quickly whisked the baby out of Sango's arms as the cord was cut, quickly washing and checking the health of the newborn. Inuyasha had a nearly overwhelming desire to snatch his pup from her arms and chase everyone away from his mate, but he fought it down. He was sure it must have been minutes, though it felt like hours. Finally the old lady turned back to them, a sweet smile on her face as she drew near and nestled a tiny bundle in Kagome's arms.

"Congratulations, child. Ye have a daughter, perfect as can be."

"A daughter . . . oh, Inuyasha, look at her, she's beautiful." Kagome cried, tears of joy replacing those of pain as she held her child in her arms, "We did this, Inuyasha. We made her. Hi baby girl, I'm your mommy. I love you, baby, I love you."

Inuyasha was too overwhelmed to speak. She was the tiniest thing he'd ever seen. Bright blue eyes seemed too big for her face. Her pudgy cheeks were bright pink; tiny little hands peeked out from the blanket she was wrapped in. Thin wisps of white hair were plastered to her head, which he noticed with relief lacked his dog like ears. She was as beautiful as her mother. Inuyasha leaned down to smile at her as she began to whine for her mother's milk.

"I'm going to protect you, baby. I may not be the best father, but I can promise I'll never let anyone hurt you. I love you, little girl, and I love your mommy too."

Inuyasha took a step back as Sango came forward to give Kagome a few tips on feeding the newborn, but it wasn't very necessary. Their daughter definitely didn't have a problem with her appetite, or her instincts.

Sango smiled softly, already adoring her niece. "Have you picked out a name?"

"Fuyuki." Kagome said instantly, then glanced guiltily at her husband, "I mean, I think Fuyuki is a nice name. What do you think?"

Inuyasha just grinned. "It's a perfect name for a perfect pup."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "What did I say about calling my child a pup?"

Sango and Kaede shook their heads fondly at the couple, and the former headed out to spread the news of Fuyuki's birth.

* * *

It was an afternoon in mid-August. The sun was shining, the humidity was bordering on unbearable, and life in the little village trudged on through the heat as it usually did. It was a particularly bright and beautiful day, but everyone was either too busy or too hot to appreciate it, except for one sweet little four year old and her adoring parents. Kagome had taken her daughter with her to collect herbs, and had paused on the way back to the village to rest. Fuyuki had immediately taken to playing in an open field. Kagome watched with a smile as her daughter ran about, plucking flowers to stick in her long white hair or chasing passing butterflies. The little girl had proven to be the light of her life, and the apple of her father's eye. She was as sweet as a child could be, and as beautiful too. The only hint of her demonic heritage seemed to be her lovely white hair and inhumanly sharp senses. Aside from that, she seemed a perfectly normal little child. Red and white flashed in her peripheral vision, and Kagome turned to smile at her husband. She'd sensed him appraoching, and wasn't the least bit surprised to see him sitting beside her.

"Good afternoon." She greeted brightly, kissing his cheek and then leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Good afternoon to you too." He responded, clearly pleased with the greeting. He turned his eyes towards Fuyuki, expression softening as he watched her play. "She's sure having fun."

"Hmm." Kagome hummed in agreement, biting her lip as she mulled over something she'd been considering for awhile now. It was such a lovely day; surely this was the perfect moment for it. "You know . . . I've been thinking. Fuyuki is such a sweet child, and she's getting older now. It would be nice for her to have someone to play with in the house, don't you think? A little brother or sister, maybe?"

She felt him stiffen at her words, and she worried for a moment that he hated the idea. Then he slid his arms around her and held her tightly, nuzzling her neck. "I think that's a _great_ idea."

Kagome laughed and shoved him away, "I didn't mean _now_! Go get your daughter before she runs off into the words or something!"

"Fine, fine. But when we get home, we're working on that baby." Inuyasha flashed her a predatory grin, before he sauntered off and scooped up their daughter. His grin turned into an adoring smile as the child chattered happily at him, just as adoring of her father as she was of him. Kagome was again reminded of just much she loved her husband.

* * *

It was late April, and Spring was once again in full swing. A cool breeze blew and the cherry blossoms bloomed, but no one was around to appreciate them. A full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the sleepy little village below. While most were slumbering peacefully in their beds, one young woman labored. The quiet of the peaceful night was broken by a terrible scream; followed by a baby's first startled cries. Kagome panted heavily, while her husband sighed in relief. Though labor had lasted about half as long as it had with their first child, it had been just as painful, or maybe even more so. He was pretty sure she'd broken at least three fingers this time around.

"A boy, or a girl?" Kagome asked, struggling to lift herself enough to see Sango and the baby. Inuyasha had to hold her down as Sango approached them with a small, whimpering bundle. He was worried she'd hurt herself if she tried moving so soon.

"A girl." Sango said, smiling tiredly as she laid the bundle in Kagome's arms, "And I'd say the little tyke takes after her father."

"Me?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat surprised by the statement. What exactly did she mean by that?

He watched as Kagome moved the blanket away from the baby's head to get a better look at her. They both inhaled sharply at the sight. Sitting on top of a head of thick black hair were a pair of furry dog ears. Instead of blue, her eyes were nearly colorless, just the faintest touch of yellow hinting at the shade of gold they would probably become. As she began to cry for milk, Inuyasha caught a flash of two tiny fangs. The demon blood was far stronger in her than it was in Fuyuki, he realized. As strong as his was, perhaps. Hell, she almost looked _more_ demonic than he did. Inuyasha watched Kagome almost fearfully, wondering how she would react to having such an obviously mixed child. He felt a little of his worry leave him at the doe eyed expression on her face. He supposed she had always said she loved his ears. Inuyasha watched in silence as she fed the child, wincing slightly from the dull teeth the child was born with.

"Eirin." He said suddenly, surprising even himself, "Her name is Eirin."

He half expected Kagome to argue or complain, but either she loved the name or she was too tired to bother.

"Welcome to the world, Eirin." Kagome said softly, "Mommy and Daddy are so happy to finally meet you, pup."

Inuyasha couldn't stop a toothy grin. "I thought we weren't calling your child a pup?"

" . . . Shut up."

* * *

Eirin was the perfect addition to their little family. It was very quickly apparent she'd inherited a spitfire personality from her father, in perfect contrast to her sister's sweet disposition. She was adored by her cousins, doted on by her parents, and despite initial concerns, loved wholeheartedly by her sister. Fuyuki had declared them the best of friends, and vowed to always protect her baby sister. She had gotten into her first ever fight when a village boy had the nerve to call her sister weird looking. Kagome had scolded her for fighting, of course, but Inuyasha had been as proud as could be. Everything seemed absolutely perfect, at first. Then time started to pass, and as the weeks turns to months and the months to years, the differences between their little girls became more and more obvious. They hadn't wanted to accept it at first, but soon it became undeniable. Fuyuki was aging like a human child, but Eirin was not.

Watching her daughters play together in the fields one day in early Spring, twelve year old Fuyuki carrying around her seven year old sister who still looked like hardly more than a babe, Kagome came to a terrifying realization.

"I'm not going to live to see Eirin grow up."

Inuyasha flinched at her words. They had been dancing around the subject for years, but it seemed they couldn't put it off any longer. He looked at her, but she was staring at the ground. "I'm going to live to lose you and Fuyuki."

Kagome lifted her head and turned toward him, tears in her eyes and voice breaking. "What are we going to do?"

The raw pain in her expression broke his heart in two. He pulled her close and held her tight, shaking with emotion himself. He wished he could change things, make everything okay again, but he couldn't. No parents could. They could only take the hand they were dealt and do their best to live with it.

"What all parents do. We're going to love them, we're going to give them the best lives we possibly can, and we're going to figure it out as we go along."

Kagome sniffled and tightened her hold on him. "I love you."

Inuyasha lifted his head, turning his gaze to where Fuyuki sat in the grass weaving flowers into Eirin's hair. "I love you too . . ."

* * *

 **Headcanon that because demon blood is so unpredictable and easily influenced, mixing species can create a number of different outcomes, even if the same couple have multiple kids. Fuyuki is only faintly demonic; she does have particularly strong spiritual abilities like Kagome though. Eirin, on the other hand, seems to have won the demonic genetic lottery. Fun fact, their names mean (according to like a third of the sources, which is good enough for me) "white/snow world" and "eternal jewel." Hiro and Hana are just a couple of village kids, by the way, they are not Miroku and Sango's twins. Also, the girls go out for demon hunts and other things too, but Kagome was ill and Sango had only recently had her son. And I needed her in the village to be with Kagome.**

 **I know this kind of just ends, but in all honesty it's mostly just to explain who Fuyuki and Eirin are for a story I may or may not do. (Kagome and Fuyuki aren't even really in it, as it takes place after they've died. And it's Kouga/Inuyasha.) Reviews would be nice I guess but whatever.**

 **Also please read chapter four of _Reflections & Shards_ I'm super proud of it. There's not even anything shippy in it.**


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